Collar support and protector



Sept- 1951 J. w. STEELE 2,568,871

COLLAR SUPPORT AND PROTECTOR Filed Aug. 2'7, 1948 INVENTOR; 1 W fee/e,

. BYMM 1477' ORNEK Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED .srArss rA'rENT OFFICE ooLLAn sUPPoRT AND PROTECTOR James W. Steele, North Kansas City, Mo. Application August 27, 1948, Serial No. 46,381

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to collar support- I ing and protecting devices of the type used by laundries and cleaning establishments for reinforcing and protecting the collar portions of laundered or finished shirts, and designed to support and preserve the proper finished contour of the collars from the time they are finished -or laundered until they are delivered to the customer.

A primary object of the invention is to devise an improved collar supporting device of an economical construction, which will serve to mor eifectively embrace and reinforce the collar by a bracing engagement against both the inner and outer faces of the inner neckband fold of the collar as Well as by means of a gripping or binding engagement with the upper front corners of the collar in such a manner as to securely hold the same together in proper position and at the same time concealing the gap between the front ends of the collar.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a more efiicient type of supporting device of this character in which the supporting function is uniformly maintained entirely around the front and sides of the collar by virtue of a continuous supporting engagement of the lower edge or margin of the device with the remainder of the shirt at a level corresponding to the base of its collar portion.

It is also sought to devise an improved and more efiicient form of collar gripping and retaining means for engagement with the upper front corners of the collar, whereby these portions of the collar will be held more securely in their proper finished position; and incidentally it is a further purpose of the invention to devise a form of gripping means for the front ends of the collar which will not only incorporate a more attractive design of supporting means but also be less likely to injury or distortion in the course of the usual handling to which the garment is subjected before delivery to the customer. I

It is also an object of the invention to provide an efficient supporting device of this character which will effectively hold the engaged portions" of the collar in an unbuttoned relation.

Th present invention is, in its general aspect,

. an improvement in the type of collar supporting and reinforcing means shown in my Patent No. I

Figure l is a general perspective View showing the collar portion of a finished shirt with the improved collar supporting and protecting device in its operative position with relation to said collar portion of the shirt-a part of the outer fold of the collar being broken away to disclose the inserted device within;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the improved supporting device;

Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views representing sections taken on the lines 3-3 and l4, respectively, of Figure 1-; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the improved collar supporting device in its flat and unfolded state.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, my present improved collar protecting and supporting device is illustrated as constructed from a suitable grade of flexible cardboard material which is appropriately stamped and cut or slit to produce collar neckband engaging portions, including a rear band portion 5 for embracing the inner face of the neckband fold 5 of the collar 1 of a finished shirt 8, and a front band portion I!) for embracing the outer face of said collar neckband 6, and also a tab or connector portion l2 joining said front and rear band portions 5 and ID at the front meeting ends of the collar 1.

The tab or connector portion I2 is formed from the upper middle portion of the front band H] to provide a tab contour approximating the design or outline of a two-motor airplane, which is connected with the band 5 along an approximately straight score or hinge line l4, and the latter thus constitutes the hinge connection between the bands 5 and l I), said hinge connection being substantially in lin with the upper edge or fold line of the collar 1, the remaining portions of said bands being separated by cuts or slits l5 also substantially following said fold line of the collar. The contour of the tab or connector portion I2 follows a pair of irregular slits 18 extendin from near the inner ends of the slits or cuts IE and terminating below said score or hinge line l4 and in slightly spaced relation for leaving a short neck form of connection 20 with the middle portion of the front supportin band I l. As will be seen from Figures 1, 2 and 5, the contour of the tab or connector member thus provides a pair of wing-like extensions 22 between the outer ends of the slits l8 and the adjacent inner ends of the cuts or slits l6, and also a pair of relatively lower tab elements 24 formed by the inner ends of said slits [8 at the opposite sides of the connecting neck portion 29.

An important feature of the invention is also the formation (by means of the aforesaid slit construction) of a pair of pointed shoulders 25 at the outer ends of the slits 18 where they intersect the slits l6, and also a pair of pointed shoulders 28 at the corners between said wing extensions 22 and the tab elements 24. These shoulders 26 and 28 are designed for-contacting engagement with the inner face of the outer fold of the collar 1 adjacent to the upper front corners thereof, or in such relation that said wing and tab elements operate to hold said collar corners in retaining engagement with said shoulders, as hereinafter explained.

In the use of the improved supporting device the band portion is bent by the thumb and forefinger of one hand for insertion of the opposite ends of the band portion l0 between the folds of the collar at the opposite sides of the front meeting ends thereof, after which the inner band 5 is bent backward into the collar opening for embracing the inner face of the neckband fold 6 of the collar. This simultaneously brings the front tab connecting member 12, with its tab and wing portions, in engagement with the upper front corners of the collar 1, as represented in Figure 1.

In this connection it may also be explained that the longitudinal edges of said front and rear bands 5 and SE! are not cut in exact accordance with a true circular design, but are of such special curvature that on folding and inserting the device as above explained, the lower or longitudinal edges of said bands will be in position to maintain continuous supporting engagement throughout their length with the horizontal inner face of the back portion 8 of the shirt, as represented in Figures 1 and 4, while at the same time the upper edges of said bands will conform approximately to the upper fold line of the collar 1 of the shirt. After the improved device is inserted into operative position as described, it will be seen that the bands 5 and [8 provide a supporting means for gripping both faces of the neckband fold of the collar and adapted for bracing the same by a supporting engagement with the back portion 8' of the shirt. At the same time the combination tab and hinge structure connecting said bands provides not only a decorative feature concealing the meeting portions of the collar, but also a reinforcing and protective means at this point; that is, in addition to said ornamental feature the wing elements 22 operate to hold the upper front portions of thecollar in retaining engagement with the adjacent shoulders 26, and likewise the tab portions 24 serve to hold the front edges of the collar in retaining engagement with the adjacent shoulders 28, the combined effect of which is to hold the front ends of the collar together and thus counteract any tendency of the same to pull apart. Accordingly, the improved support is well adapted for use in connection with laundered or finished shirts that are left in neither a buttoned or unbuttoned condition prior to packaging of the same.

The combination tab and hinge structureis designed to afford ample connecting strength between the front and rear bands along the line I4, and adapted to preclude any tendency of the bands to bend at merely one central point, and also provides a wing-end decorat ve feature 4 which the wing-ends 22 have only a nominal projection, with a minimum tendency to become snagged or broken by handling.

From the foregoing it will therefore be apparent that a very practical and economical as well as highly efficient supporting device has been devised for fulfilling all the desired objects of my invention, and at the same time it is of course obvious that minor changes or modifications may readily be made which are within the scope of the invention as above described. For example, the invention is not to be regarded as strictly limited to any specific relative sizes or proportions of the elements of the construction; and moreover, it is to be understood that the same may be constructed as either a single or double type of collar supporting device, inasmuch as the front band In (with its tab and wing elements and double shoulder features) may be employed either with or without the rear band portion 5, and nevertheless be within the essential scope of the invention.

All such modifications or variations are therefor regarded as embraced within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A one-piece collar support and protecting device for finished and folded shirts, comprising a pair of collar supporting bands having an integral connecting portion provided with an approximately straight score or hinge line adapting the bands to be folded into engagement with the opposite faces of the inner neckfold portion of the shirt collar and also into continuous supporting engagement with the inner face of the back of the folded shirt, the outer of said supporting bands having a struck-out tab formation comprising a pair of oppositely projecting wings and downwardly projecting tabs at the inner ends of said wings for overlying the front ends of the collar respectively, together with a pointed shoulder located opposite the outer end of each of said wings and a second pointed shoulder opposite the outer edge of each of said tabs at a point substantially lower than the corresponding first shoulder and nearer to the corresponding end edge portion of the collar, said shoulders and tabs being located for respective engagement inside and outside the collar, whereby said wings and tabs are adapted to engage and hold the corresponding front end portions of the collar in respective retaining engagement with both sets of said pointed shoulders.

JAMES W. STEELE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS L g t r July 11. 1944 

